Africa-Press – South-Africa. Keen to conclude their work, the Section 194 committee looking into Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s fitness for office adopted a revised programme on Friday that will see her back in the witness stand on Monday, with advocate, Dali Mpofu, SC, at her side.
With issues relating to her legal fees and her legal representation out of the way, the committee can continue with its inquiry.
According to the programme adopted on Friday, hearings will start on Monday and continue until Friday, 23 June.
Closing statements from Mpofu and the evidence leaders will be heard on 28 June, and the committee will deliberate over the following three days.
It will consider a draft report on 11 July and adopt it the following day.
This will then be sent to Mkhwebane to obtain her input. Her submissions will be considered on 27 July, and its final report will be adopted on 28 July.
This would conclude the committee’s work.
The National Assembly will rise for an extended constituency period on 18 June, and reconvene on 31 August.
Although it will work through this period, it means its report can only be adopted after 31 August, unless a special sitting of the National Assembly is called to consider the report.
A two-thirds majority is needed at such a sitting to remove Mkhwebane.
Her term of office expires on 14 October.
The parliamentary wheels are already turning to establish a committee to appoint her successor. It is likely that this committee will meet during the constituency period.
At Friday’s meeting, MPs seemed eager to continue with the process and conclude their work.
ANC deputy chief whip Doris Dlakude said:
Other MPs shared her sentiment.
The committee has been under pressure from National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula to conclude its work.
Responding to the debate on Parliament’s budget on Tuesday, she said she was “mad” that the committee hadn’t finished its work.
Committee chairperson Qubudile Dyantyi said he would update Mapisa-Nqakula on the new programme.
Mkhwebane last testified on 31 March. This was after the Office of the Public Protector indicated that it couldn’t continue to fund her legal costs beyond that date.
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While Mkhwebane managed to brief lawyers for another court application against the process, she said she couldn’t pay the legal fees for the inquiry herself and insisted that it was the State’s responsibility to foot the bill.
After the Office of the Public Protector, through consultations with National Treasury and Parliament, availed R4 million from its retained surplus for the 2021/22 financial year, Mkhwebane said she could not appoint attorneys.
The Solicitor-General has since appointed attorneys on her behalf, and the committee heard on Friday that Mpofu and his two juniors had been briefed to resume.
This clears the way for the inquiry to continue on Monday.
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